Campaign Day 4: Quick on the GM trigger

By JOHN ARMSTRONG political editor

A boring election? You've got to be joking.

Having held a gun to Labour's head with their ultimatum against lifting the moratorium on genetic modification, the Greens yesterday cocked the trigger.

Then - realising they would be accused of risking a need for another election within weeks of this one - just as quickly uncocked it.

As everyone knows, the Greens have been saying they will pull down a minority Labour Government in October next year unless the moratorium on the commercial release of GM organisms is extended.

Buoyed by polls and fed up with Helen Clark accusing her of holding Labour to ransom, Greens' co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons decided to give Labour a hint of a real ransom.

Around midday, she warned the Greens might simply refuse to form a government with Labour after this month's election, rather than keeping one alive for the 14 months until the moratorium expires.

But the bravado of lunchtime dissolved into a backdown by afternoon tea.

An embarrassed Ms Fitzsimons claimed she had been "musing aloud". After talking to colleagues, she Jeanettically-remodified her party's position to what it had been.

Why?

Her threat could have seen the Greens holding the balance of power after the election, but refusing to support a Labour-led minority government.

What then? Another election could be needed if the result of the first presented no other credible coalition possibility. But a second election would be unlikely. Pressure would come on Helen Clark and Ms Fitzsimons to find a way through.

This side of the election, however, it is in neither party's interest to compromise as the stand-off has been helping both in opinion polls.

Ms Fitzsimons' gaffe ends a dream run for the Greens. The timing is unfortunate. It puts her on the back foot in tonight's TV3 leaders' debate.

This will be the first time the Prime Minister has gone head-to-head against Bill English on television since he took over the National Party leadership last October.

But attention will focus as much on how Helen Clark mixes it with Ms Fitzsimons, her on-again, off-again coalition partner.

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